Israeli front pages Photo:Dvorit Shargal of velvetunderground.co.il
The Israeli press went on steroids over the weekend pushing an attack on Iran, and it’s getting mass coverage.
The push began with Ynet’s report that Israeli P.M. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak advocate an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities this fall, before the U.S. elections in November.
And what about the fact that “not the [Israeli] army command, not the security forces, not even the president - supports an Israeli strike now” (Hebrew edition)? Defense Minister Barak was unmoved. According to Ynet “Barak therefore made it clear that everyone against an attack is free to resign.”
Speaking anonymously, a “senior Israeli official… known for his sharp analytical skills” warns of impending doom.
“The sword at our throat is a lot sharper than the sword at our throat before the Six-Day War,” the official said.
…..
According to the official, if Iran obtains nuclear arms, it will goad its neighbors and adversaries and will be unstoppable. “What happened in the Rhine in 1936 will be child’s play compared to what will happen with Iran,” he said, referring to the entry of German forces into the Rhineland in 1936 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
“All the moderate forces around us will be significantly weakened and heavy storm clouds will gather over the Middle East. The region will not be the same region and the world will not be the same world, and our lives will not be the same either. We will live under the shadow of a permanent storm,” the official said.
Noam Sheizaf reports at +972 that this “anonymous decision maker” pushing war is none other than Ehud Barak:
Ari Shavit offers a few hints to the identity of his interlocutor (the source is “known for his sharp analytical skills”; has a piano in his living room; was at the center of decision making twice; and more.) It is also widely known that Shavit has very good relationship with Barak; and this is not the first time he has citied the same “senior source” (including a hit job on Tzipi Livni before the last elections). Even Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On wrote on her Facebook page explicitly that the source in Shavit’s article is Ehud Barak.
The daily media roundup by the 7th eye (a media watchdog site) also states that “Shavit’s source is Barak.”
In the interview, Defense Minister Barak responds to arguments made by those opposing the attack. He tells Shavit that Israel will be able to cause considerable damage to Iran’s nuclear program, delaying it for a few years – possibly until the Iranian regime falls; he expects no American guarantee to attack the nuclear facilities next year, and he insists that Israel must attack soon and not hand the problem over to the Americans (according to reports in the Israeli media, the IAF would not be able to cause significant damage to the Iranian nuclear program unless the attack is carried out in the coming months). Barak says:
Naturally, the question becomes ‘Will Obama have Israel’s back?’
Color me suspicious, but what are the chances that the timing of this August impending-doom pressure wave isn’t just a means of revving up American politics? Netanyahu and Barak providing our compliant press with ammunition for Romney via the Emergency Committee for Israel, Dan Senor etc making their job easier?
On Tuesday Haaretz reported there was some “new intelligence information” according to a Western diplomat and Israeli officials. Not to be upstaged by his own anonymous persona Barak went on Israeli Radio and trumped this ‘new intelligence’ which has since morphed into a new US National Intelligence Estimate report claiming the US has learned Iran is even closer to a bomb. Interestingly, this has not been confirmed by the WH but it doesn’t stop tongues from wagging. Rumor has it somebody’s pissed:
Behind scenes, US Gov “livid” about Ehud Barak’s leak & spin of US intel report on Iran’s nuclear program. (NOT an NIE)
@lrozen@matt_duss— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 9, 2012
It just keeps escalating. Case in point check out CNN’s Iran: High stakes nuclear poker game?
Sorry, but I simply must end this with some humor. Will Obama force Israel to attack Iran? Some folks think that’s the question. American Thinker says Obama is being irresponsible by allowing Israel to prepare to attack Iran all by its lonesome:
And therein lies the irony of Obama forcing Israel to put its citizens and soldiers at risk to do something that he should be authorizing the U.S. military to do.
“And therein lies the irony of Obama forcing Israel to put its citizens and soldiers at risk to do something that he should be authorizing the U.S. military to do.”
OMG……he actually said that?….if that isn’t the epitome of the Zionista mentality and narassicism nothing is.
Only non Jews and non Israelis should die and take risk to protect Israelis.
The US has the Debbie Wasserman ”moral obligation” to kill itself for Israel?
I’ve considered running off a copy of everything on MW and burying it in a lead trunk the back yard so maybe some civilization after us will dig it up and know what happened to the US.
It isn’t in the national interest of either Israel or the US to attempt to change the existing international laws against preventive wars or attacks on peaceful applications of nuclear power. A spoonful of your own medicine can bite you or your allies in the ass. Iran is not the only country in the world that worries its neighbors on account of a latent capability to produce weapons.
The case for a preventive attack against Japan from China or North Korea is actually much better than the one for an attack on Iran. The Japanese government deliberately amended it laws that govern nuclear programs to include “national security”, and sitting members of the Japanese Parliament have openly discussed obtaining nuclear weapons. Japan has enough material lying around to fuel over 5,000 bombs. Based upon past experience, the neighbors have very legitimate concerns about the role and possible ambitions of a re-militarized Japan for the region. See:
*Revisions to Japanese Atomic Law Cause Worry Over Possible Weapons Aim
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/revisions-japanese-atomic-law-spark-concern-about-possible-weapon-development/
*Nuclear Arms Talk Accompanies Japan Atomic Power Phaseout Debate
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/japan-atomic-power-phase-out-debate-has-weapon-dimension/
*In Japan, Provocative Case for Staying Nuclear: Some Say Bombs’ Potential as Deterrent Argues for Keeping Power Plants Online
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203658804576638392537430156.html
*Seoul getting jumpy about Tokyo’s national security push
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201207170063
On the other hand, neither the US nor Israel is open to the idea that bombing their nuclear power plants is legal, despite the fact that both have well-known weapons programs. In fact, Israel’s attacks on other nuclear power plants have resulted in IAEA resolutions that declared the practice a violation of the UN Charter and international law:
* http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC27/GC27Resolutions/English/gc27res-407_en.pdf
* http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC29/GC29Resolutions/English/gc29res-443_en.pdf
* http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC29/GC29Resolutions/English/gc29res-444_en.pdf
* http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC29/GC29Documents/English/gc29-765_en.pdf
Along those lines – apparently the House of Saud says they will only allow Jets through their airspace if its a US sanctioned action, and they will intercept the Israelis if they go it alone.
In other words, they’re on board – but only if its US backed.
This is so crazy, its anyones guess. I wonder if Romney will bring up Obama’s arming of Al-Qaeda in the debates? Maybe if AQ gets John Bolton to lobby for them like the MEK, they too can get off the terrorist list. Unreal.
So much for the clash of civlizations, huh? The US, Israel, the GCC and Al-Fckin-Qaeda forming Vultron to destroy the region.
There is an increasingly disturbing vibe emanating from Israel towards the United States that resembles a threat: if you don’t do exactly what we demand that you do with regard to Iran, you will suffer terrible consequences. The tone of the rhetoric is moving into Samson Option territory — the whole world (“the nations”) is being threatened with the wrath of Netanyahu and Barak. One hears the voice of the angry Old Testament God.
yes, that is a big problem on the West Coast
first we had to worry about all them ChiCom Sappers coming muggled in with China made mouses and printers…wanting to take over all of them honest made in the USA burrito joints and Taco Bell…
now this Iran threat? Iranians planning on opening a chain restaurant in San Diego and corrupting our youth and stealing all of our precious bodily fluids….
Diabolical all those Iranians…the women with those long legs and short skirts hidden behind those robes and then the men…ohboy, the men all have them Italian Silk Suits with NO ties…It’s not jewish or even Chinese…
Before we had to worry about all them heavyweight potato eating Russian women wanting steal all of our semen…now we have the Iranians…
whatever will we do?